This invention relates to a multiflashlight apparatus for a photographic camera for simultaneously illuminating a foreground subject being photographed by emitting a plurality of flashlight rays, and more in particular to a wireless multiflashlight apparatus.
Conventional multiflashlight apparatuses include a "wired" type comprising a plurality of flashlight devices spatially located in the neighborhood of a foreground subject being photographed and connected through respective wires with a photographic camera so as to emit flashlight rays for simultaneously illuminating the subject upon the shutter operation of the camera, and a "wireless" type comprising a main flashlight device mounted on a photographic camera to emit a flashlight ray for illuminating a foreground subject being photographed upon the shutter operation of the camera and one or more additional flashlight devices operative to be triggered by the flashlight ray from the main flashlight device so as to emit flashlight rays for illuminating the subject. In the former wired type multiflashlight apparatus, the respective flashlight devices can emit flashlight rays only upon the shutter operation of the associated camera without being misflashed in response to the shutter operation of any other cameras than the associated camera. However, a cumbersome operation is required prior to photography, since the respective flashlight devices should be wired to the associated camera so as not to obstruct photography. In the wireless multiflashlight apparatus, the additional flashlight device can be freely located at any positions in the neighborhood of a subject being photographed without the necessity of being wired to the associated camera. Where, however, the subject is simultaneously photographed by a plurality of cameras, the additional flashlight devices are disadvantageously triggered not only by a flashlight ray from the associated main flashlight device, but also by flashlight rays from other flashlight devices than the associated main flashlight device.
It is accordingly the object of this invention to provide an improved wireless multiflashlight apparatus for a photographic camera, in which each additional flashlight device can be triggered only by a flashlight ray from a main flashlight device mounted on an associated camera to emit a flashlight ray.